Nowadays, when we open the newspaper, the first thing we see on the front page is always 'this place was bombed by terrorists', or 'the terrorists strike again' .Indeed we face terrorism everyday but we should try to curb it at least.
An example of terrorism is the recent hijacking of the plane by a single armed terrorist. At gunpoint, any pilot would have been scared to death and done whatever the terrorist wanted. But the pilot, seeing that the terrorist did not understand French, used it to his advantage. By the work of the pilot and several passengers, they were able to subdue the terrorist and bring him to the police. This act of heroism by the pilot was unprecedented. This example also goes to show how real terrorism can get; it can strike anywhere, anytime.
We should all take a stand in preventing these kinds of disasters from happening; already the government has taken action by placing up posters and such to remind us of what we should do to prevent terrorism. However, knowing what to do is not enough; it is the lack of courage that we Singaporeans face. Everyone is always scared to call the police when they see a package or a bag because if it was not a bomb, it would have all been for nothing and they would ‘lose face’. It is this fact alone that still prevents us from being a hundred percent safe from terrorists. I feel that it is always better to be safe then sorry, especially in this circumstance. Imagine the chaos and panic if a bomb exploded in Singapore. Thus we must all find the courage or in some cases ‘thick skin’ to be vigilant and prevent terrorism in Singapore.
However, one person’s work is not enough. Even if the pilot had managed to knock down the hijacker, if the passengers did not pitch in to help, the hijacker could have just as easily got back on his feet and shoot the pilot. Even if the whole police force kept a 24 hour watch on the island, there have only a limited amount of resources and they cant possibly be everywhere every time. Therefore, it is up to the citizens of Singapore to help the police, to be on the lookout for anyone or anything suspicious. This applies not only to terrorism but basic crime itself.
With the combined effort and courage of all citizens in Singapore, I am sure that terrorism will slowly drift away from us. Although we will never actually be free of terrorism, we should try our best to prevent it from happening in our land.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Does game violence make teens aggressive?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16099971/
I am sure that every teen my age has heard of games such as “Gears of War”, “Grand Theft Auto” and many other games such as these that depict gore and violence in the most gruesome and lifelike way possible. A well placed shot to the head while playing “Grand Theft Auto” sends the helpless victim into a decapitated state with blood spewing continuously from its head like a fountain.
I admittedly get a kick out of playing these games and I feel that in-game violence does affect teens in real life. Based on personal experience, when I first started playing these games, I felt myself becoming more aggressive towards other people. It did not come across my mind that the game was affecting me in that particular way, and I only realized it when I got into my first fight with another boy in the same level as me. I did not stop playing the game but instead limited my time playing it.
Although everyone is always quick to point the source of violence towards video games, we should look at it this way. If the parents didn’t allow the teen to buy the game, how could they even play it? Even if these teens did not play these games, it is inevitable that when they grow up, they are sure to be affected by violent situations in one way or another. In the end, it is all about self control, and just because a few games are violent does not mean that all games which have violence in it should be banned. We should follow the old saying, “all things in moderation”.
Teens nowadays are attracted to what they cannot have, the more they can’t have the game; the more they will play it and thus get affected by it. Thus, we should not ban it totally but only block the few games that depict too much gore from teens. After all, this is a stage in our lives where we are still learning and easily affected by our surroundings, and always wanting to try out new things. Without being exposed to violence through pixels, would we “try” it in real life instead? When we are sent to jail it will be too late for regrets, rather than shooting a guy in real life, wouldn’t it be better to try it in a game? Of course, first to be able to play these games teens must always understand the consequences of their actions and know how to differentiate between either realms. Only then, will we not face this growing violence in the community.
I am sure that every teen my age has heard of games such as “Gears of War”, “Grand Theft Auto” and many other games such as these that depict gore and violence in the most gruesome and lifelike way possible. A well placed shot to the head while playing “Grand Theft Auto” sends the helpless victim into a decapitated state with blood spewing continuously from its head like a fountain.
I admittedly get a kick out of playing these games and I feel that in-game violence does affect teens in real life. Based on personal experience, when I first started playing these games, I felt myself becoming more aggressive towards other people. It did not come across my mind that the game was affecting me in that particular way, and I only realized it when I got into my first fight with another boy in the same level as me. I did not stop playing the game but instead limited my time playing it.
Although everyone is always quick to point the source of violence towards video games, we should look at it this way. If the parents didn’t allow the teen to buy the game, how could they even play it? Even if these teens did not play these games, it is inevitable that when they grow up, they are sure to be affected by violent situations in one way or another. In the end, it is all about self control, and just because a few games are violent does not mean that all games which have violence in it should be banned. We should follow the old saying, “all things in moderation”.
Teens nowadays are attracted to what they cannot have, the more they can’t have the game; the more they will play it and thus get affected by it. Thus, we should not ban it totally but only block the few games that depict too much gore from teens. After all, this is a stage in our lives where we are still learning and easily affected by our surroundings, and always wanting to try out new things. Without being exposed to violence through pixels, would we “try” it in real life instead? When we are sent to jail it will be too late for regrets, rather than shooting a guy in real life, wouldn’t it be better to try it in a game? Of course, first to be able to play these games teens must always understand the consequences of their actions and know how to differentiate between either realms. Only then, will we not face this growing violence in the community.
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